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Archived posts from category ‘Southeast Asia Round-Up’

Thailand-Cambodia
Thailand and Cambodia’s impasse over the Preah Vihear temple continues. Cambodia opposes Thailand’s request that the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization delay a decision on the management plan for areas surrounding the temple until Thailand and Cambodia had come to an agreement on the nearby border.

by SAM ABRAMS Thailand and Cambodia A Cambodian Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman says his country has agreed to Indonesia’s “Package Solution” to stop fighting along the Thai-Cambodian border. The Package Solution was proposed on May 9 in a meeting between Cambodia, Thailand, and Indonesia. Its authors identified “a number of steps or measures and put [...]

Thailand and Cambodia
Tuesday was the fifth consecutive day of fighting along the Thai-Cambodian border. The fighting started over a disputed area near two Hindu temples and has since spread to the Preah Vihaer temple, which saw skirmishes in February. At least 12 soldiers have died. The Cambodian Defense Ministry accused Thailand of shelling civilian villages and damaging the temples, and added that 17,000 Cambodians had been evacuated. A Thai foreign ministry spokesman said 30,000 Thai citizens had been relocated from the border area. Also on Monday, Thailand’s foreign minister Kasit Piromya called for bilateral talks with Cambodia. Although Thailand has resisted international observers, Piromya did not rule them out.

The Philippines
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) denies any connection to Abi Pamanay, who the military arrested on charges of being the local MILF representative of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI). MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal dismissed accusations of links between the MILF and JI. “That’s a broken record. That’s an old issue. They know that we have no tactical or strategic alliance with the JI. We condemn terrorism.” In contrast, army chief Lt. Gen. Arturo Ortiz said Pamanay was a “senior associate” of Abdul Basit Usman, who has been on the run for his association with JI and the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf.

by SAM ABRAMS Indonesia Acting on a CIA tip, Pakistan has detained Indonesia’s most wanted terrorist, Umar Patek. Patek was central to the 2002 Bali bombings, which killed 202 people, and was the last senior command still at large. Patek’s activities in the past few years are unclear. Air Marshal Chairul Akbar, the general secretary [...]

by SAM ABRAMS Indonesia Al Jazeera reported Tuesday that “retired generals” are supporting “groups involved in anti-Christian violence” in an effort to overthrow Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s government, which they believe is “too reformist.” Government officials dismissed the report. “We see no serious threat indicating it as treason,” said a Yudhoyono spokesman. Communications and Informatics Minister [...]

by SAM ABRAMS The Philippines A bomb struck an elementary school in the city of Jolo on Thursday, March 10, killing four and wounding 10. Officials immediately identified the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf as the culprit. The attack came in the midst of an attempt to capture local leaders Puruji Indama and Khair Mundos. With [...]

The Philippines
The New People’s Army (NPA) killed three soldiers and wounded four others in an attack in the northern province of Ifugao on Saturday. The Filipino soldiers were unarmed. They had with them construction tools to assist in reconstruction after a recent typhoon. The NPA, with an estimated 4,700 guerrilla fighters, is the armed wing of the Filipino Communist Party.

Malaysia
Somali pirates arrested by the Malaysian navy and may face the death penalty if convicted of charges of armed robbery and firing at the Malaysian military. The accused pirates were attempting to hijack a Malaysian ship headed for Singapore near Oman when the Malaysian navy detained them in January. Last year saw the highest number of pirate attacks in the world since 2003.

Indonesia
Abu Bakar Bashir, the radical cleric charged with organizing terrorist training camps in Aceh, is on trial in Jakarta. Prosecutors believe Bashir funded a group known as “Al Qaeda in Aceh.” Previously, Bashir had been linked to Jemaah Islamiah, the group responsible for the 2002 Bali bombing. Of the charges he said they have been “engineered by America.”

Thailand-Cambodia
After several days of rising tensions and troops movements, “sporadic shelling” broke out along the Thai-Cambodian border According to a Cambodian government spokesman and local witness, Thai soldiers precipitated the shelling by raiding a pagoda claimed by both sides. The Thai army had a different story, claiming that the Cambodian army fired artillery rounds first. The Thai army chief said the exchange of fire “seems to have been a misunderstanding,” and that he was working with his Cambodian counterpart stabilize the situation. The dispute stems from the two countries’ claims to the Preah Vihear temple, which is recognized as a Cambodian World Heritage site.

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